Daniel Santos, known to fight fans as “Willycat,” returns to action in the UFC Vegas 117 co-main event, where he takes on South Korea’s Doo-Ho Choi.
Santos (13-2) hasn’t lost a fight since his UFC debut. The featherweight has won four straight, the last two against Korean fighters.
In a bare-bones media session on Wednesday, the result of this weekend’s Rousey vs. Carano card on Netflix, Santos exclaimed that he’s here to dominate the featherweight division.
On fighting Doo-Ho Choi at UFC Vegas 117
“Feeling great, third Korean in a row. I think that they’re similar styles. Obviously Choi is a different name, talking about somebody who’s had a lot of experience in the UFC, and also somebody who had a great fight against Cub Swanson. There’s some familiarity with their game, and I’m ready to put on a great show on Saturday.”
What he learned from his first bout in the UFC, a loss to Julio Arce
“I think it was the anxiety of the first fight in the UFC. Every time you step in for the first time, into that octagon, there’s a lot that goes into it. You’re anxious, there’s a lot of adrenaline as well. So with more time in the octagon, just being there and being familiar with being in the octagon, I think the anxiety goes away and you feel different about the way you fight.”
On making a bigger impact in a co-main event fight
“That’s why I worked hard for so many years to actually be in that position. That’s what we wanted to do, those are the opportunities we wanted, we wanted to just progress and go up the rankings, and ascend as much as possible and be up there. And that’s what I want to show. I want to show people I’m a tough athlete, I’m a tough opponent, somebody who’s ready for it, that has evolved and that is going to be a champion. I want to be in this position. I want to show dominance throughout my fights, and I came to dominate, I came to dominate this division, all the way to being a champion. That’s what I want.”
The full UFC Vegas 117 media session with Daniel Santos can be found above.
